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Monday, Dec 04, 2017 06:15 AM

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Snap Count Review: Week 13 vs. The Cardinals

Kristen Lago

Rams Writer/Reporter

Los Angeles reached nine wins for the first time since 2003 after rolling past Arizona 32-16 on Sunday. The Rams played from ahead nearly the entire game and successfully recorded their first sweep over the club’s divisional rival in four years.

Below is some analysis of the Rams’ snap counts from Sunday.

OFFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS

— L.A. had 19 fewer snaps on Sunday than it did in last weekend’s contest against New Orleans. And while the Rams did run fewer plays, the offense was given a boost by middle linebacker Alec Ogletree who scored on a pick-six in the first quarter.

— The Rams only played 16 offensive players against Arizona. Although L.A. never lost its early lead, the Cardinals were not far behind for the majority of the contest. As such, head coach Sean McVay elected to keep the entire starting line — left tackle Andrew Whitworth, left guard Rodger Saffold, right guard Jamon Brown, right tackle Rob Havenstein, and center John Sullivan — in for all 58 snaps.

— Todd Gurley was the only Rams running back to take the field on offense, carrying a heavy workload with 55 snaps. Outside of Watkins, he was the only skill player to participate in at least 95 percent of the snaps and it showed on the stat sheet. On Sunday, Gurley recorded his

third game of the season with at least 150 yards from scrimmage and led all players with six receptions.

— With wide receiver Robert Woods out on Sunday, the Rams rotated in a variety of receivers in his place. Wide receiver Tavon Austin saw his production decrease from 35 percent of the snaps in Week 12 to 19 percent this weekend. On the other hand, Pharoh Cooper saw increased playing time on Sunday, with five percent more snaps. Josh Reynolds continued to play a big role as well, participating in 42 snaps after making his first start last weekend.

*DEFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS *

— Cornerback Trumaine Johnson was the only defensive player to participate in all 64 snaps, marking his third contest in a row playing in 100 percent of the Rams’ time on defense. He was followed closely by safety Lamarcus Joyner and cornerback Kayvon Webster who each played 63 snaps.

— Aaron Donald had the highest snap count total on the defensive line, playing 54 of 64 snaps. He was a heavy contributor on Sunday recording 2.0 sacks on quarterback Blaine Gabbert, as well as two tackles for loss.

— Rookie outside linebacker Samson Ebukam received his first start against the Cardinals, filling in for the injured Connor Barwin. Ebukam recorded five solo tackles in his 48 defensive snaps, tied for second on the team.

— Middle linebacker Alec Ogletree played just 36 percent of the team’s defensive snaps on Sunday before exiting the contest with an elbow injury. Linebacker Bryce Hager took over for Ogletree through the final 41 snaps and stepped up well in Ogletree’s place. Overall, he recorded one tackle, a pass defense and a quarterback pressure.

*SPECIAL TEAMS SNAP COUNTS *

— The Rams special teams unit continued to assert its dominance on Sunday. Punter Johnny Hekker — who played 11 snaps — punted four times for 207 yards. His 70-yard punt in the third quarter is tied for the third longest in the NFL this season.

— Kicker Greg Zuerlein (14 snaps) moved into third place on the Rams all-time single season scoring list with 143 points. He is currently on pace to break the all-time NFL single season scoring record set by LaDainian Tomlinson (186) in 2006 with 190 points.

— Defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker and nose tackle Michael Brockers made a big impact on special teams, although each took just four snaps. Walker blocked an extra point attempt by kicker Phil Dawson, while Brockers blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter. The unit has now blocked four kicks this season.